Page 69 of Vicious Sabotage

He had to get a clear head. He was no good to her like this. If she was alive.

And he had to keep that spark of hope that she was.

His mind reeled with the sounds of that horrible day—the day of the strike that killed most of his brothers-in-arms. The screams. Then the awful silence as dust hung in the air.

He’d been tossed to the ground, crumpled face down, listening to it all through ears stuffed with cotton from the blast.

What he’d seen when he lifted his head would be his constant torment.

So would the aftermath of living without those friends.

Very few of them remained. He’d come to Montana to watch over his men, then he got in deep guarding Livia.

Now he wasn’t helping any of them.

Red rage blinded him, and he tore at his restraints again, jerking the chains tight around his wrists until he felt the metal dig into his flesh and the trickle of hot blood.

He couldn’t stop.

Livia. My precious love.

Was she alive? Had those motherfuckers taken her?

He lost his head for dizzying minutes. He was to blame. He was no good to Livia or any of them.

The clank of the chain on the metal pole filled his one good ear. The other had been temporarily deafened by that punch he took.

Suddenly, his hands moved forward a fraction, farther than they had in the past few minutes he tore at the bonds.

He paused, head hanging low. Breathing hard, his mind settled on his surroundings again.

Slowly, deliberately, he tugged on the chain.

It didn’t seem to give any more, so he pulled harder. Straining his muscles, he felt the cords in his neck popping.

Yes, goddammit. It did feel like one of the links was giving. He twisted one hand up, feeling along the length for an inconsistency in the links. When he ran his fingertip over a small bump, he paused and did it again.

He edged his fingernail into a minute gap between the curve of a link.

A gap.

If he’d learned anything in his career as a SEAL it was to find that break in an opponent, in an enemy, and make it wider.

He dug in, tearing at the chain until he was pouring with sweat and his flesh was raw from the metal.

He had to get the hell out of here. He needed to return to Badlands. Find Livia. Find Colton and Hunter.

When his fellow SEALs lost their lives, he refused to stop living. He wasn’t going to give up the fight to find the woman he loved.

After he had her safe and sound in his arms, he was going to tell her that he was going to marry her…and wait for her sassy reply.

Chapter Sixteen

Livia rolled as she struck the ground. Tires whirred inches from her head as Smythe drove off.

Pain slammed through her head and body. Gravel cut into her skin, giving her road rash on every body part not covered by clothes.

Her mind blanked for several seconds. She couldn’t even think, blankly staring up at the dark sky. About a million stars twinkled.

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